Sports India

On the close of the fourth day of the third Test, West Indies were 113 for 4 in their second innings, rattling along at almost five runs an over, for an overall lead of 332 against visitors India here.

The West Indies dismissed India for 362, 219 behind their first-innings score of 581, but skipper Brian Lara did not enforce the follow-on.

When Lara declares the Indies second innings Monday, what target he will set India, if he does at all, is anyone’s guess.

Given the nature of the wicket, the lack of a specialist spinner in his side and the groin injury which saw Pedro Collins leave the field towards the end of India’s innings, he might well let things drift and take their own course.

Earlier a Laxman hundred, and a 47-run last wicket stand between Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel - they batted together for 73 minutes - however, ensured that India did not stay in the shadows all day.

At stumps on the fourth day of the third Test it appeared that a draw would be the most likely result and that the teams would go even-even to Kingston, Jamaica, for the fourth and final Test, from June 30-July 4.

Laxman’s 10th century in Tests, his 77-run seventh wicket stand with Anil Kumble (43) and the last-wicket stand between Harbhajan (38 not out) and Patel, gave India some respite after Jerome Taylor struck decisive blows early in the morning.

Taylor removed Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohd Kaif in the space of six deliveries in his first two overs of the day.

The Indians might have been surprised that three of their first four batsmen to fall on Sunday - Dravid, Kaif and Mahendra Singh Dhoni - were given out leg before by umpire Brian Jerling, especially given his reluctance to raise his finger on the first two-and-a-half days when the Indians had several good shouts turned down.

But while Jerling, standing in his first Test, might not have been consistent, he could not be faulted on accuracy.

Only Kaif could consider himself unlucky not to get the benefit of doubt. The ball that got him, cut back sharply and seemed to be missing leg.

Dravid looked a little late coming down and missed the line of one that cut back sharply from Taylor while Yuvraj nibbled lazily at one angled across and edged to Ramdin.

Dhoni was trapped in front by Corey Collymore, missing the ball as he shuffled and tried to play it on the legside, after he and Laxman had put on 61 for the sixth wicket.

Laxman and Kumble then seemed to be steering India to safety. They tackled the second new ball effortlessly. Laxman hit Taylor for 12 in one over. Kumble outdid him in the next, getting 14 off Collins.

Then Laxman got out, the ball after he got his hundred.

Perhaps he did not regain his concentration after reaching the landmark. He just poked at a ball from Collins, angled away from him, nicked it and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, diving, took a good catch.

Like so many of his big innings, this too was vital to the interests of his team. It was full of grit and determination, and flair, too. Fifteen boundaries, in a stay of 338 minutes in which he faced 231 balls, were testimony to that.

The dismissal would have left Laxman with mixed feelings.

There has been increasing pressure on him over the last year or so and after three poor scores in the series, this century would have done wonders to his morale. But he would have been disappointed that he had not got his team out of the woods.

Harbhajan and Patel’s stand, however, ensured that India did escape. They came together almost 40 minutes before tea, with India 315, still 67 short of the follow-on target of 382.

Had West Indies separated them early, Lara might well have enforced the follow-on and, as he had wished at the start of the Test, the tables would well and truly have been on India.

They would have been struggling to save the Test on the final day of the Test, just as West Indies were forced to do so on the final day of the first two Tests.